Silent Movie Title Cards
Title cards were short sentences written on black cards that were filmed and included in the silent movie in order to express something that could not be otherwise related by the actors in the movie.
The cards were hand-drawn on black cards and then filmed. They were then cut and pasted physically into the correct part of the film.
Opening and Closing Title Cards
The first title and end title were usually prepared by an artist title maker. Some filmmakers sent all the cards to professional companies to be prepared; others hand-drew their own. The opening cards and closing cards often were fancier and prettier than the cards within the film. They usually had drawings, sketches or flourishes that were often hand-drawn and then filmed.
Subtitles
Cards within the movies were used to move the story forward. They were usually explanatory in nature, and were used to bridge time or give more information about a character. Initially, these cards contained long subtitles, but eventually filmmakers realized they had to keep them short so that moviegoers could read them quickly.
For example,
- A time lapse of hours, days or weeks:
"Two hours later…"
"Later that week…"
"Two weeks went by…"
- An important thought or comment by one of the actors that is critical to the plot
- An action by the character that is not in the film but is still important to the plot
ACTIVITY 1: MAKING YOUR OWN MOVIE - TITLE CARDS
Opening and Closing Cards
- Is there one particular image, picture or drawing that represents an important part of your movie? Using a black piece of paper and a white marker, draw a sketch or line drawing to create your image. Usually these images went off to the side of the card, accenting the text that appeared.
- Add the title, actors’ names, and film crew on individual cards.
- Usually the following appeared at the beginning of the film: the name of the group or company that made the film, with their logo.
At the end of the film, the following would appear: The End.
ACTIVITY 2: ADDING SUBTITLES TO YOUR OWN FILM
Subtitles
- Watch the film; pause the film when you think a title is necessary.
- On a piece of paper, or on index cards, write a title card; number them consecutively.
- Do this for the entire film.
- The next day, go over the titles again. Check to see if they are necessary; keep them short.
- Check spelling etc. Edit and reduce their length to not more than 20 words per card.
- On separate papers, list the opening and closing credits. Include everyone who helped with your film.
- Add them to your film.
ACTIVITY 3: SILENT MOVIE SAMPLES
As a group or individually, watch a silent movie from the 1920’s or 1930’s. Consider the following:
- What images appear on the opening and closing title cards?
- Do the images match part of the movie?
- What appears on the opening cards? Closing cards?
- How many subtitle cards are there in the movie? What kind of information or commentary do they provide?
- Do the subtitles move the story along? Do you think any of them could have been shortened or omitted altogether?
- Movies today often have "bloopers" or "commentaries". Why did silent movies not have these?
Reference: Title Data by Walter D. Kerst, Amateur Movie Makers Oct. 1927.
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